This invention relates to compositions for retarding spoilage of coffee, treating coffee with the compositions and the resulting treated coffee.
Coffee is typically brewed at a high temperature, ideally about 175° F. but generally below the boiling point. Spoilage of coffee commences shortly after brewing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,410 (hereafter “US '410”) states that the freshness of brewed coffee may be extended by provision of art antioxidant to reduce oxidation of organic matter which imparts flavor to the coffee, US '410 speculates that any number of antioxidants may be used hut specifies only ascorbic acid, which it characterizes as Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid and erythorbic acid, which it characterizes as jointly being Vitamin C. US '410 suggests that Vitamin C be added to the grinds or the water from which the coffee is brewed or that the coffee maker filter be impregnated with Vitamin C. Also, the filter body or the filter may be coated with antioxidants or an antioxidant capsule or tablet may be retained under a flap to the outer surface of the filter body. Not noted in U.S. '410 is that Vitamin C when added to coffee usually imparts a sour acidic taste unless it is buffered.
Publication No. US 2008/0019860 discloses liquid monophasic lipid-soluble antioxidant compositions and processes for making the compositions. Constituents of the compositions include propyl gallate which has been dissolved in a solvent selected from the group consisting of glycerine and propylene glycol. Other antioxidants disclosed for the formulation include ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), among lists of hundreds. The lists of “antioxidants” also include citric acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), which are not antioxidants but chelating agents intended to assist antioxidants.
Publication No. US 2013/0196009 discloses that extracts of the genus Caesalpinia, also known as tara, can increase DNA functionality, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant effect. This publication suggests that compositions containing tara extract be administered as nutritional supplements.